Torgesen Murdock Fine Art
Torgeson Murdock Fine Art
Torgeson Murdock Fine Art

Torgesen Murdock

7385 N. Crestview Rd.
Pocatello, ID 83201
208-232-1778
torgesenmurdockfineart.com

Torgesen Murdock was raised on a ranch in Soda Springs, Idaho. She sketched and painted to while away idle hours and was always in demand as an illustrator for schools and civic groups.She attended universities in Hawaii and Utah and graduated from Utah State University in Logan, Utah, where she was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors. She studied with such notables as Alvin Gittins of the University of Utah and Joseph Mugnaini of Otis in Los Angeles, as well as Gaell Lindstrom, Adrian Van Suchtlan, Harrison Groutage, Ovanes Berberian, and Harley Brown. She went on to work toward a Masters Degree and to teach art for organizations and in private workshops.

She has many credits on her list of artistic achievements. Her work was featured in International Artist Magazine as one of the master painters of the United States and again in their artist studio section. Her painting, “The DoIomites”, won the International 2014 Landscape Grand Prize for International Artist Magazine and was featured in their Dec/Jan 2015 issue and in the Dec 2014 issue of American Art Collector Magazine. In 2022 Her work, “All Are Alike Unto God”, was juried into the final 100 paintings out of several thousand of entries for the Biennial International Show of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints. It is now on exhibit through 2023 in the Historical Museum in Salt Lake City. She is presented in the books, 100 Ways to Paint Seascapes, River, and Lakes, Splash 7, Splash 12, and Hear Him.

In the past 15 years she has been juried into many National shows. For example, she was juried twice into the top 100 out of 2500 entries in the National Arts for the Parks Competition. The grand prize for this show was $50,000. She has also been juried into the Oil Painters of America Wester Region Show, National Watercolor Society Show in Los Angeles, the Pittsburgh Aqueous, the Florida Visual Arts Show, many Northwest Watercolor Society Shows, the Park City Arts Festival, Watercolor West, and Springville Art Museum shows to name a few. In 2007 she won the Peoples Choice Award in the Idaho Paints Idaho semi-annual show and was featured again in 2009 with two large paintings. She was the sweepstakes winner in 2008 and 2010 at the Eastern Idaho State Fair and won Spectators Choice in 2022. She won Best of Show in IWS in 2008 and in 2009 the juror for IWS awarded one of her paintings Best of Show and the other, the Jurors Choice. 2016 another IWS Jurors Choice. In 2022 she was chosen to exhibit with the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. Her painting, “ Whereas I Was Blind”, won the bronze medal at the Parliament of World Religions held in the Salt Palace. She is a signature member of NWWS and IWS. This year of 2022 has been a year of presenting her Artistic Journey to several large groups including the IWS state conclave.

Torgesen’s work is included in the acquisitions of corporations such as Boise Cascade Corporation, Blue Cross of Idaho, Merrill and Merrill, Portneuf Regional Medical Center, Idaho Central Credit Union, Bank of Idaho, Caribou County Hospital, University of South Carolina, BYU Idaho, and Idaho State University. In 2005 she installed a five by twelve foot mural in the Omni Center, with eight accompanying paintings. In 2008 she completed a five by eleven foot mural for the corporate headquarters of Idaho Central Credit Union plus two five by six foot paintings for their presidential suite and five smaller paintings for their executive floor. In 2010 she was chosen to do paintings for the new Portneuf Hospital and a five by eleven foot mural for Idaho State University. She also has works hanging in the Darla Moore business building at the University of South Carolina and BYU Idaho. In 2021 Idaho Central Credit Union bought 16 of her paintings for their new executive building in Boise, Idaho. In 2022 two of her large landscape paintings were purchased to hang in the new Portneuf Medical Center building. At this time 2022 her painting “Golden Threads” is being exhibited in the 2022 Spiritual and Religious show at the Springville Art Museum. Last spring she filled the Corridor Gallery at the TAM with her portraits.

In July of 2002, Torgesen spent a month in St. Petersburg, Russia, studying art at the highly respected Repin Academie under Igor Vademovich Petrov. While there, she visited the homes and studios of several well-recognized Russian artists and the State Museum, Hermitage, and the Tretchycov in Moscow to absorb the paintings of Repin, Serov, and Shishkin, all whom she admires. Petrov, her Academie Instructor, was complimentary toward her work. Commenting through an interpreter, he said he hoped she learned something from him during her study because he learned so much from her. He also compared her drawings with music, saying her use of thick and thin line, and the movement and flow of design reminded him of a musical composition. It was an irreplaceable experience that influenced her mind and heart, and thus her art.

Torgesen feels that her art should be innovative enough to leave the viewer room for personal interpretation, yet have some connection with reality to bring memories and emotions to the surface. Her spontaneous and energetic style, along with a strong color and design sense, have caused her collectors to comment that her art changes with the mood and feelings of the viewer and becomes more intriguing the longer they own each work.

Torgesen Murdock’s art is an investment in living and changes with you each day.


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